René Buthaud, céramiste Art déco (1886-1986)

A key figure in the decorative arts between the wars, René Buthaud (1886-1986) became interested in ceramics as soon as he finished his studies at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Paris and the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs, before being drafted. Figurative, geometric or abstract, his vases met with great success at the Salon d’automne and the Salon des artistes décorateurs in 1920, where he exhibited alongside his friends Jean Dunand and Alfred Janniot. Distributed by the Rouard gallery from 1928 onwards, he took part in most of the shows and major events of his time: the 1925 International Decorative Arts Exhibition, the 1931 International Colonial Exhibition and the 1937 Arts and Techniques Exhibition.

Technical director of the Sainte-Radegonde faïencerie d’art for Primavera from 1923 to 1926, he was particularly well known and appreciated by the public for his mastery of craquelé, which he introduced to France. He also produced some thirty remarkable fixé-sous-verre works, demonstrating his dexterity with other materials. Winner of the Florence
Blumenthal prize in 1920, he also enjoyed great success on the other side of the Atlantic, notably with his vases signed Doris. His work – more than a thousand pieces – can now be found in numerous private and public collections, including his adopted city of Bordeaux, the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.